


Diamond in the Rough

by Vanzgogh



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1960s, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Police Brutality, Sexual Content, Substance Abuse, Violence, dirkjohn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:41:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27610175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanzgogh/pseuds/Vanzgogh
Summary: Meeting your soul mate is all one could wish for, but living in fear of loving them is never easy. Hushed whispers behind closed doors and affection that could never meet the light of day in their lifetime is all our two lovers know.  81 year old John Egbert gives us an inside look of life in the time and the story of his late lover, Dirk Strider.
Relationships: John Egbert/Dirk Strider
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19
Collections: DirkJohn Big Bang 2020





	Diamond in the Rough

John adjusted his position in his chair, bones cracking and shouting at the sudden movement. Movement was coming from all around him, between the camera crew and staff there wasn't a second of stillness. The interviewer, a kind eyed lady, sat in front john. The man behind the main camera shot her a thumbs up, that meant that everyone was ready John assumed. The woman smiled at John before clearing her throat and turning her attention to the camera.

"Hello everyone, thank you for tuning in. My name is Lauren Pright, today I'm sitting down with John Egbert. A man that suffered loss and hardship during the 1960s, a man who played a part in the Stonewall Riots, a man who is going to give us insight on what it was like to live through those times." She turned her attention back to him before speaking again. "John, to start off can you tell us about the first time you ever went out to one of the underground places?" John chuckled a little in response "Of course.. let's see…" he rasped out.

A much younger John timidly sits at a bar, downing his drink to banish the nerves that had been welling up in him since he stepped through that threshold. His leg bounces with anxiety as he looks around the room, eyes falling on every face that seems to be having a much better time than him. He turns his eyes to stare down in the recently emptied cup as his head starts to swim a bit from the alcohol. Getting lost in his thoughts he zones out, soon a hand resting on his shoulder jostles him from his stupor. A skinny blonde man grins wolfishly down at him, sizing him up.

"You look like you're out of your element, pretty boy." He says with a chuckle before smoothly sliding into the seat next to john. John swallowed thickly. 'It's because I am' He thought to himself. John had never been to a bar before, especially not a gay bar. He hadn't even been out to himself for a month, he was completely out of his element. Nervously chuckling, John sheepishly nodded his head in agreement to the mysterious man's statement.

"You got a name? Or do I need to keep calling you pretty boy? Because while it's true, it seems kinda rude of me." The man said, offering a wink In John's direction. John's face lit up immediately before stuttering out a reply. "Oh! Um, it's John. John Egbert." He said, shakily holding out a hand to the man. He chuckled before taking John's hand "The name’s Dirk Strider, nice to meet you John." the blonde said, offering a toothy grin.

The two sat in silence, stealing glances at each other. John had to admit the man was stunning. His blonde hair was perfectly sculpted in its unusual style, circle frame glasses sat on the bridge of his adorable button nose. Even in the low lighting he could see the freckles that littered the man’s cheeks in an almost innocent way, though John doubted the man was. He had an air of unbridled confidence that surrounded John, in a way he made John feel more confident by just being around him.

“Sooo, since you look so lost I'm assuming you’ve never been in a place like this, huh doll?” The man said, turning his head towards John with a small smile playing on his lips. John’s face burned impossibly red at the pet name before nodding his head again. “Uh- yeah, this isn’t really my scene. But I figured there's no harm in trying it out, meeting more people like me…” Dirk nodded his head in understanding. “It's always smart to have a few friends in our situation, safety in numbers as they say.” tipping his glass to John before taking a hefty gulp of the offensive liquid. John pried his eyes off the man, trying not to be rude by staring. “You know there’s a lot more to this place then just sitting around right? You want me to show you the ropes?” Dirk said, raising an eyebrow at the black haired man. John weighed his options, sit here awkwardly or have this blonde beauty give him a tour of the underground scene. Obviously he was going with the latter, John nodded his to the man's suggestion. Dirk's smile grew even wider before sliding out of his chair and holding out a hand to John. John stood shakily before taking Dirk’s hand timidly, offering him a small smile.

Turning on his heel, Dirk began leading John through the sea of people. He kept John impossibly close to him, keeping him basically pressed to his back. Oddly John has never felt safer in his whole life, this man he hardly knew treated him better than anyone he’d ever met. Dirk led him up the staircase in the corner of the room, they came to a door that looked like it hadn’t been opened in some time. Dirk let go of John's hand before fishing around in his pockets, pulling out a key ring that held several rusty looking keys. Finding one that had a light blue paint on it, he inserted the key into the lock. Dirk opened the door, a smile finding its way back onto his face as he reached back to grab John's hand again. John's eyes lit up as they made their way onto the roof of the bar, They were so high up he could the Californian shores bathed in moonlight. The light bounced off the water in a way that John could only describe as ethereal, He couldn’t believe his eyes. He turned to thank Dirk for bringing him here but his world came to a jarring stop as his eyes found their mark.

Dirk had taken his glasses off, they rested on the top of his head. He had his face turned up slightly, taking in the sky above him. His eyes were such a stunning shade of orange, the stars reflecting in them making them absolutely breathtaking. Dirk must have felt eyes on him because he soon turned his attention to John, smiling softly while taking in his slack jaw expression. Dirk stepped up to John, pulling him to him by the hips. John just stood there dumbfounded as dirk brought his hand to his face, staring into his blue eyes with his impossibly orange ones. A fond smile stayed on Dirk’s face as he leaned in, softly placing his lips on John's. John tensed in shock but he wasn't opposed in the slightest. Finally John relaxed, pressing his lips into Dirk's. He chuckled, pulling John closer to him. John couldn’t explain why but he knew he hadn't done anything that felt more right than this.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank so much to ivoryjackalope on instagram for being such a delight to work with and making such amazing art for this story!


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